Debris and parts of the restaurant balcony that gave way last week injuring eight French tourists have been recovered from the seabed and will be tested by investigators, the Times of Malta has learnt.
Sources close to the investigation said “detailed tests” were being carried out in a bid to establish what caused the accident, which occurred as patrons were dining at the Barracuda restaurant, housed in a restored 18th-century villa by the water’s edge at Balluta Bay.
Seven of those hurt were discharged from Mater Dei Hospital after receiving treatment for slight injuries. A Frenchwoman was in critical condition and had to undergo surgery for a number of fractures, including to her pelvis. Her condition has since improved and she is recovering well.
The injured, who were holidaying in Malta, are reportedly considering legal action, and though some have since left Malta, they are in contact with lawyers here.
The sources said that court and other technical experts, including from the Occupational Health and Safety Authority, were “all hands on deck” to establish what caused the balcony collapse.
The columns seemed like stone slabs placed on top of each other, rather than reinforced pillars
The balcony consisted of a platform supported by two stone columns with their bases on the rocks below. When the structure collapsed, the platform fell on to the Piccolo Padre restaurant’s balcony below. Luckily, there were no diners there at the time. On a busy night, the Piccolo Padre terrace is packed with diners.
The experts, the sources said, were carrying out tests to establish the strength of the columns supporting the entire platform, particularly in view of the fact that the columns seemed like “stone slabs placed on top of each other”, rather than reinforced pillars.
The debris was recovered from the sea and the rest of the structure removed on Tuesday under the surveillance of court experts. It would be tested as part of the inquiry, the sources said.
The Barracuda restaurant is carrying out its own internal inquiry to establish the cause of the collapse.
Both the Barracuda and Piccolo Padre are family-run restaurants and belong to the same company. They occupy different levels of the same converted building.
Barracuda has been a fixture on the Maltese fine dining scene for the past 36 years. Piccolo Padre is a popular trattoria.
This is the third major accident in seven months involving groups of people injured at places of entertainment or public events, starting with the Paqpaqli għall-Istrina car event last October, when a supercar careened into bystanders, injuring 26.
One month later, 74 young people were injured when the glass bannister of a nightclub in Paceville gave way during an evacuation. Last January, the police issued charges against the club owners.